Guide to the Papers of William John Edwards, 1898-2003

Summary

Collection number:

MS 9890

Creator:

Edwards, William John (1891-1967) and Arthur Pulford

Extent:

4.50 metres and (20 MS boxes + 1 Large folio-box + 1 map-folio)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of William John Edwards, National Library of Australia, MS 9890, [series/file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for reference. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

The bulk of the papers relate to the work of W.J. Edwards as a Minister of the Church of England and include papers from his appointments as Rector of St Augustine's, Bulli St James Church, Sydney; sermons spanning forty years; subject files and newspaper cuttings on issues of religion; and Forms of Service for religious and commemorative services. A smaller group of papers relate to his World War I service; his time as Headmaster of Canberra Grammar School; his appointment as Chief of the UNICEF Mission to Greece, Italy and Malta and a visit to the United States of America as a delegate to the 9th International Conference of the Institute of Pacific Relations.

Biographical Note:

Date	Event
1891	9 December - birth of William John Edwards in Riverstone NSW, the only son of John and Ida (née Drayton)
1905-1907	Employed Riverstone Post Office, the first year as messenger boy, and then as Post Master's Assistant
	Attended and later taught Sunday School at St Paul's, Riverstone
1907-1908	Moved to a position at Casino Post Office
	Superintendent of Casino Sunday School
1908-1910	Resigned from Post Office service
	Returned to Sydney and enrolled at Fort Street Model School to complete his education with a view to entering the Ministry
	From 14 February 1909, took services and preached sermons on Sundays
1910-1913	Studied at Moore Theological College, Newtown
1914-1916	Completed a BA at the University of Sydney, graduating in April 1916
1916	29 April, married Amy Stephenson, daughter of A.R. Stephenson, with whom he had five children
	Enlisted in the AIF, with the rank of Corporal in the Administrative Branch. In August resigned from the AIF and in October was appointed YMCA Field Representative to the AIF with the rank of Honorary Lieutenant for front line service in France/Belgium with the AIF 5th Division. Embarked in the next troop convoy
1918	June - injured in German mustard gas attack and repatriated to England for hospitalisation. Resumed YMCA service in English army training camp at Salisbury
1919	While still a YMCA/AIF officer, attended Cambridge University (Ridley Hall) and completed his Teachers Certificate and Divinity Testimonium, both of which were awarded in Dec 1919
1920	Returned to Sydney and in March was discharged from YMCA
	14 March - admitted into the Holy Order of Deacons by Archbishop of Sydney
	21 December - admitted into the Holy Order of Priests by Archbishop of Sydney in the Cathedral Church of St Andrew
1920-1922	15 March, appointed by Archbishop of Sydney as Curate on the staff of Holy Trinity College, Dulwich Hill, Sydney, serving at Hurlstone Park
1923-1926	1 January - appointed by Archbishop of Sydney as Rector of the Church of Saint Augustine, Bulli
1923	10 July - accepted into the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons
1925	Acting Diocesan Director of Education in the Sydney Diocese
1926	29 June - appointed by the Bishop of Goulburn as a Priest
1926-1928	Headmaster of Manaro Grammar School, Cooma, part of the Goulburn Diocese under Bishop Radford
1929	Following the sudden resignation of the Rector of St John's Church, Canberra, became involved in the management of the church until the new Rector was appointed in 1930
1929-1947	Appointed first Headmaster of Canberra Grammar School, of which he had overseen the establishment and construction
	Member of the Council of the Canberra University College (acting Chairman in 1937)
1935	4 June - appointed by the Bishop of Goulburn as a Canon of the Diocese of Goulburn, replacing the Rev Canon Charles Shearer Robertson who had resigned
1938	Delegate to the British Commonwealth Relations Conference, Lapstone, New South Wales
1945	Delegate to the 9th International Conference of the Institute of Pacific Relations, Hot Springs, Virginia, following which he undertook a lecture tour of the USA
1947-1952	Appointed as Chief of the UNICEF Mission to Greece, Italy and Malta
1948	Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Philosophy Department of the University of Athens
c1952	Private audience with Pope Pius XII in Rome
1953	Senior Welfare Supervisor, Colombo Plan, Department of the Exterior, Sydney
1956-1962	8 June - appointed by Archbishop of Sydney as Rector in the Church of Saint James, Sydney
1962	September - retired to Canberra
1963	5 December - death of Amy Edwards, following a stroke
1967	24 September - death of William John Edwards in Sydney, following a long illness

Provenance:

The papers of William John Edwards were donated to the Library by his son-in-law, Arthur Pulford, in 2003. The papers had been in the possession of Edwards' daughter, Jill Pulford, since 1967 and came to the Library following her death.

Arrangement:

Much of the collection had been arranged into files by Jill Pulford, his daughter, before it was transferred to the National Library. These files have been retained and listed in the relevant series.

Indexed terms

Names:

Arthur Pulford

Conditions Governing Access:

The collection is available for reference.

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of William John Edwards, National Library of Australia, MS 9890, [series/file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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